Birds to See in Belize in May
80 bird species on our list for Belize are recorded regularly in May
Of these, the most often recorded are Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Turkey Vulture, White-winged Dove, Roadside Hawk and Cattle Egret. New this month: Black Tern, American Avocet, Great Horned Owl and Black-billed Cuckoo and 1 more.
On the move in May
GBIF · MayArriving
At their peak
From Belize’s bird records, 2019–2024: arriving birds are regular this month but not last; leaving birds are regular this month but not next.
Other months
All 80 birds in May
80 birds
Golden-fronted WoodpeckerMelanerpes aurifronsResidentCommon21–26 cmRecorded all year · 1.63% in May
Turkey VultureCathartes auraResidentCommon62–81 cmRecorded all year · 1.23% in May
White-winged DoveZenaida asiaticaResidentCommon27–30 cmRecorded all year · 1.01% in May
Roadside HawkRupornis magnirostrisResidentCommon33–41 cmRecorded all year · 0.50% in May
Cattle EgretArdea ibisResidentCommon46–56 cmRecorded all year · 0.42% in May
Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaoctoResidentCommon30–32 cmRecorded all year · 0.41% in May
Great White EgretArdea albaResidentCommon80–104 cmRecorded all year · 0.36% in May
Lineated WoodpeckerDryocopus lineatusResidentCommon32–38 cmRecorded all year · 0.35% in May
Rock DoveColumba liviaResidentUncommon31–34 cmRecorded all year · 0.29% in May
OspreyPandion haliaetusResidentCommon54–58 cmRecorded all year · 0.24% in May
Acorn WoodpeckerMelanerpes formicivorusResidentUncommon20–24 cmRecorded all year · 0.23% in May
Magnolia WarblerSetophaga magnoliaWinter visitorCommon11–13 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.22% in May
Red-winged BlackbirdAgelaius phoeniceusResidentUncommon17–23 cmRecorded all year · 0.22% in May
American RedstartSetophaga ruticillaWinter visitorCommon11–14 cmRegularly Aug–May · 0.21% in May
Ferruginous Pygmy-owlGlaucidium brasilianumResidentUncommon15–19 cmRecorded all year · 0.20% in May
Great Blue HeronArdea herodiasResidentCommon91–137 cmRecorded all year · 0.20% in May
Northern WaterthrushParkesia noveboracensisWinter visitorCommon12–15 cmRegularly Aug–May · 0.19% in May
Bay-breasted WarblerSetophaga castaneaPassage migrantUncommon14–14 cmRegularly Oct–May · 0.17% in May
Barn SwallowHirundo rusticaWinter visitorCommon17–19 cmRegularly Jul–May · 0.16% in May
Swainson's ThrushCatharus ustulatusPassage migrantCommon16–20 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.16% in May
Mottled OwlStrix virgataResidentUncommon30–38 cmRecorded all year · 0.14% in May
Northern CardinalCardinalis cardinalisResidentUncommon21–23 cmRecorded all year · 0.12% in May
Great CurassowCrax rubraResidentUncommon84–92 cmRecorded all year · 0.11% in May
Chestnut-sided WarblerSetophaga pensylvanicaWinter visitorUncommon10–14 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.11% in May
Chipping SparrowSpizella passerinaResidentUncommon12–15 cmRecorded all year · 0.10% in May
White-rumped SandpiperCalidris fuscicollisPassage migrantUncommon15–18 cmRegularly Apr–Jun · 0.10% in May
Yellow-bellied FlycatcherEmpidonax flaviventrisWinter visitorUncommon13–15 cmRegularly Aug–May · 0.09% in May
Least SandpiperCalidris minutillaWinter visitorUncommon13–15 cmRegularly Jul–May · 0.09% in May
Carolina WrenThryothorus ludovicianusResidentUncommon13–14 cmRecorded all year · 0.08% in May
Muscovy DuckCairina moschataResidentUncommon66–84 cmRecorded all year · 0.07% in May
Common YellowthroatGeothlypis trichasWinter visitorCommon11–13 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.07% in May
Tennessee WarblerLeiothlypis peregrinaWinter visitorCommon10–13 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.06% in May
Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensisResidentUncommon36–41 cmRecorded all year · 0.06% in May
DickcisselSpiza americanaPassage migrantUncommon14–16 cmRegularly Apr–Oct · 0.06% in May
Black-crowned Night-heronNycticorax nycticoraxResidentUncommon58–65 cmRecorded all year · 0.06% in May
Semipalmated PloverCharadrius semipalmatusWinter visitorUncommon17–19 cmRecorded all year · 0.06% in May
Lesser YellowlegsTringa flavipesWinter visitorUncommon23–27 cmRegularly Jul–May · 0.06% in May
Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotosPassage migrantUncommon19–23 cmRegularly Aug–May · 0.05% in May
Great Crested FlycatcherMyiarchus crinitusWinter visitorUncommon17–22 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.05% in May
Least FlycatcherEmpidonax minimusWinter visitorUncommon12–14 cmRegularly Aug–May · 0.05% in May
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresWinter visitorUncommon21–24 cmRecorded all year · 0.04% in May
Greater YellowlegsTringa melanoleucaWinter visitorUncommon29–40 cmRegularly Aug–Jun · 0.04% in May
Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaWinter visitorUncommon27–30 cmRecorded all year · 0.04% in May
Gull-billed TernGelochelidon niloticaResidentUncommon33–42 cmRecorded all year · 0.04% in May
Fulvous Whistling-DuckDendrocygna bicolorResidentRare45–53 cmRecorded all year · 0.03% in May
Ladder-backed WoodpeckerDryobates scalarisResidentRare16–19 cmRecorded all year · 0.03% in May
Western SandpiperCalidris mauriWinter visitorUncommon14–17 cmRecorded all year · 0.03% in May
Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellusWinter visitorUncommon48–66 cmRecorded all year · 0.02% in May
Sand MartinRiparia ripariaPassage migrantUncommon12–14 cmRegularly Apr–Nov · 0.02% in May
Black TernChlidonias nigerSummer visitorUncommon22–26 cmRegularly May–Nov · 0.02% in May
Scarlet TanagerPiranga olivaceaPassage migrantUncommon16–19 cmRegularly Apr–Nov · 0.02% in May
Gray-cheeked ThrushCatharus minimusPassage migrantUncommon16–17 cmRegularly Apr–Nov · 0.02% in May
Mourning WarblerGeothlypis philadelphiaPassage migrantRare10–15 cmRegularly Apr–May · 0.02% in May
House SparrowPasser domesticusResidentRare14–17 cmRecorded all year · 0.02% in May
VeeryCatharus fuscescensPassage migrantUncommon16–19 cmRegularly Apr–Nov · 0.02% in May
Solitary SandpiperTringa solitariaWinter visitorUncommon19–23 cmRegularly Jul–May · 0.02% in May
Semipalmated SandpiperCalidris pusillaPassage migrantUncommon15–18 cmRegularly Mar–Nov · 0.02% in May
Wilson's PhalaropePhalaropus tricolorPassage migrantRare22–24 cmRegularly Apr–Sep · 0.01% in May
Short-billed DowitcherLimnodromus griseusWinter visitorUncommon23–32 cmRecorded all year · 0.01% in May
Pied-billed GrebePodilymbus podicepsWinter visitorUncommon31–38 cmRegularly Sep–Jun · 0.01% in May
Franklin's GullLeucophaeus pipixcanPassage migrantRare32–36 cmRegularly Nov–May · 0.01% in May
Stygian OwlAsio stygiusResidentRare41–46 cmRecorded all year · 0.01% in May
Palm WarblerSetophaga palmarumWinter visitorUncommon12–14 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.01% in May
Cedar WaxwingBombycilla cedrorumPassage migrantRare15–18 cmRegularly Jan–May · 0.01% in May
Philadelphia VireoVireo philadelphicusWinter visitorUncommon11–13 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.01% in May
American Golden-PloverPluvialis dominicaPassage migrantRare24–28 cmRegularly Mar–May · 0.01% in May
Buff-breasted SandpiperCalidris subruficollisPassage migrantRare18–20 cmRegularly Apr–May · 0.01% in May
American AvocetRecurvirostra americanaWinter visitorUncommon43–51 cmRegularly Oct–May · 0.01% in May
Common TernSterna hirundoPassage migrantRare31–35 cmRegularly Mar–Jan · 0.01% in May
Stilt SandpiperCalidris himantopusWinter visitorRare18–23 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.01% in May
Black-billed CuckooCoccyzus erythropthalmusPassage migrantRare28–32 cmRegularly May–Nov · 0.01% in May
WilletTringa semipalmataWinter visitorUncommon33–41 cmRecorded all year · 0.01% in May
Blackpoll WarblerSetophaga striataPassage migrantRare13–15 cmRegularly May · 0.01% in May
WhimbrelNumenius phaeopusWinter visitorRare40–46 cmRecorded all year · 0.01% in May
Roseate TernSterna dougalliiPassage migrantRare33–41 cmRegularly Apr–Nov · 0.01% in May
SanderlingCalidris albaWinter visitorUncommon18–20 cmRegularly Aug–May · 0.00% in May
Black-throated Blue WarblerSetophaga caerulescensWinter visitorRare11–13 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.00% in May
Great Horned OwlBubo virginianusResidentRare46–63 cmRegularly May–Mar · 0.00% in May
Upland SandpiperBartramia longicaudaPassage migrantRare28–32 cmRegularly Mar–Oct · 0.00% in May
Red CrossbillLoxia curvirostraResidentRare15–17 cmRegularly Apr–Feb · 0.00% in May
Data: EOD – eBird Observation Dataset (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), accessed via GBIF.org, CC BY 4.0. Records from 2019–2024, aggregated and filtered by Birdfact. How these lists are made